Season's Greetings

Season’s greetings from mild-weathered Minneapolis, which seems to be the only place in the U.S. where climate change is producing LESS volatile weather patterns. We were blessed with another mild summer and a long, pleasant autumn. We will see if the pattern continues in 2016.

Our 2015 had a somber beginning with the January passing of James’ Grampa Orwig. He was an ever-flowing river of physical, moral, and intellectual vitality, and we were blessed to have been able to enjoy some of his 95 years with him. His passing came months after his 2nd daughter Elizabeth concluded her long battle with MS. Grampa’s memorial service in June in Kentucky was a wonderful opportunity for the extended family to gather, celebrate, support, and grow together again. 

Our summer was marked with multiple adventures. In Kentucky we hiked Indian Fort Mountain with family, then hiked 9 subterranean miles in Mammoth Cave National Park. We enjoyed great weather for our week in Michigan, but our BIG adventure was driving to Maine to explore Acadia National Park for two days with Kurt, Catherine, and Rachel Schmidt. The long drive east included passing through Toronto and more significant stops in Montreal and Quebec City. Acadia was an understated delight, seeing the sights, climbing the granite, tasting the treats, and communing with the Schmidts. The route home included rural roads in New Hampshire, watching the Perseid Meteor Shower in Killington, VT, and visiting Joanna, Michael, and Sophia Daeschner in Rochester, NY.  If the climax of the return voyage was our visit to Niagara Falls, then the denouement was the night at the waterpark in Ohio. The 11-day odyssey marked the first time any of us had driven from our home to one of the coasts, and it was a powerful experience to stand atop Cadillac Mountain, surveying the Atlantic, before pointing our vehicle West for the voyage home.

Sixth-grader Katie collected many new experiences this year. Early in the year she had a role in a local theater production, then had her first (mind-blowing) opportunity to ski in the Rocky Mountains. Katie took golf lessons during the summer, developing a nice swing in the process. This fall she started middle school (loves it) and ran on the cross-country team (wow!). Add in 2 weeks at Camp Miniwanca during the summer and Katie had a year full of adventures and growth!

Second-grader Preston has been flexing his academic and athletic muscles, showing an aptitude for learning in both arenas. His league sports are baseball, soccer, and (for the first time) basketball, with skiing, golf, and tennis filling spare time. His reading level has been impressive this year, as has his growth as a swimmer (special thanks to Grandad, Cousin Neil and the hotel pool in Kentucky!).  

Jackie's increasing interest in public policy drove much of her activity during the year. She is administrating several social media accounts (including her own) and has built some stature within the progressive networks in Minnesota. She also decided to re-enter the workforce and accepted a non-profit role as Director of Communications for EVOLVE Adoption & Family Services.

James turned 40 and was talked into playing in several soccer matches with old teammates despite retiring from the game 5 years ago. It was fun, but his body didn’t seem to enjoy the experience as much as he did. He reveled in the family summer adventures before experiencing some professional upheaval as Ecolab cut back on innovation plans. While his period as a free agent has been a period of intense learning, networking, and exploration, even the luster of less-frequent face-shaving is wearing off. With a job offer on the table at the time of this writing, James is confident he’ll be sinking his teeth into new professional challenges soon. He’ll also be finalizing our plans for a trip to the Grand Canyon this summer!  

We wish you a joyous holiday season and a 2016 full of faith, wonder, and contentment. 

Blessings of peace to you and yours ~ The Craig Family

     

The Holidays are Going to Hurt

Because love does not end with death, we feel pain. Pain and grief are a natural part of life: a sane response to the physical loss of losing someone we love. The pain makes perfect sense and the holidays are going to hurt. 

Grieving is a very personal experience and there is no "normal" timeframe for grieving. It's important to allow ourselves time to process feelings naturally. The reality of pain cares nothing for order or stages, even though it's commonly referred to as stages of grief. Loss is painful and messy. Please do not use stages to dictate if you are "grieving correctly" or not.

When coping with sudden death or lengthy grieving, expect to feel depressed. Those feelings may wax and wane over time and are normal responses to extremely stressful situations, they are not personal flaws. Many find solace in developing a network of supportive friends and companions. However, if we continually avoid support and disconnect or isolate ourselves, we may be heading towards major depression. 

Important Note: If you have previously struggled with depression, the death of someone close to you may bring depression to the foreground. Complicated grief can be so persistent and complex that it lasts for years. Anytime you experience thoughts of suicide, or become unable to complete basic daily routines, please seek professional help. 

Is there a way to make the holidays work?

People who love us are going to want to create a special holiday; however, often what others think is needed can be overwhelming. We need to give ourselves permission to say, "No." It's important to check in with ourselves often and if leaving a gathering is helpful, we can simply leave. 

Support one another.

Empathy and compassion may help reduce suffering by opening us to the healing and growth personal connections can bring. It's important for us to honor the pain we are experiencing. Hear each other. Don't try to fix. Let each other cry and be in the moment with each other. 

Blessings of peace to you and yours - 

Jackie

Blocked By My Minnesota Senator

As a citizen who cares deeply about the future our children face, I actively engage with political representatives both locally and nationally. I am especially motivated to communicate with those who represent me. It's my pleasure to share that most representatives, even if they disagree with my politics, are at minimum polite and responsive (often dismissive, but I'll take it).

You can imagine my feelings when I discovered that my Facebook friend, Dan Hall, blocked me on Twitter (insert sad face here). I don't actively engage with Senator Hall on Twitter, so I am left wondering why he'd be bothered enough to block my ability to read and respond to his posts. I guess dissent is not allowed in District 56... And here I thought constituent engagement was a good thing.

Being a curious soul, I thought it would be helpful to look at our past in person interactions to see if I had done something to upset him enough to block a constituent. 

All I can think of was an office visit to discuss environmental legislation this past session. Several of his constituents joined me in asking him to be more responsible with our precious environment by supporting forward-thinking legislation. The most interesting part of the visit, in my opinion, was Mr. Hall's initial assumption that the group of informed and concerned citizens in front of him were lobbying folks without connections to his district. Here's how it went down.

Mr. Hall greeted us with a smile as we made our way to a small conference room. The friendly welcome was appreciated because speaking out can be intimidating. A few of us shared our concerns about the health of our environment and what improvements we were there to support. Senator Hall's smile morphed into a sneer as he inquired where one of the speakers was from. From the look on his face, it seemed Mr. Hall was surprised, but not delighted, to be speaking with a constituent from his district in that moment. He then ask us to raise our hands if we were his constituents. When most of the group raised their hands proudly, Senator Hall's face fell. He composed himself, made small talk, congratulated us for taking time to visit, and took our information. He posed for a photo and became my Facebook friend after this meeting, so I'm guessing this is not the cause of me being blocked. 

Lest Mr. Hall feel targeted, we also stopped by Representative Roz Peterson's office that day. She invited us into her office with a friendly smile (much appreciated). She listened as we shared concerns about environmental legislation not being effective at protecting our shared resources for future generations. Mrs. Peterson then explained that our environmental standards would be a tough sell to businesses. I suggested that Minnesota businesses could be environmental leaders, elevating our state's reputation and desirability. Yet another of my representatives' faces fell. She argued that business interests were not in line with tougher environmental legislation. Again, I combatted the premise that Minnesota business leaders could be champions instead of blockers of environmental protections. Representative Peterson then suggested that we speak to Pat Garafalo about environmental legislation (pretty certain owning a Tesla does not make one the go to environmental rep, but okay). I've been quite vocal about my disappointment with Representative Peterson's votes since that visit and she hasn't blocked me. Shoot, her political strategist and husband even follow me on Twitter. 

So, what could it be that pushed Senator Hall to block this constituent? Maybe it's because I recently took a stand to support Planned Parenthood because there's a bunch of lies being spread about their services and funding. I certainly owe them a lot for the healthcare they provided me as a young woman lacking financial means to pay out of pocket. 

Checkout these screenshots of Mr. Hall's Twitter account and decide for yourself why a vocal constituent like myself would earn a block. 

Peace to you and yours (and even Dan Hall) - Jackie

Journey to an Inclusive, Supportive, and Loving Community

It is beautiful witnessing the moral emotions of community members and our natural instincts to protect family. We all witness examples of time and effort gifted to those we consider part of our inner circle, which ultimately strengthens our connections.

Our challenge is to broaden our reach by harnessing these collective emotions to evoke action for the greater good and thereby strengthening community connections. 

To conquer this challenge we must start seeing our community as our family, so the gifts and protections we share are inclusive and love abounds.

Let us join together to discard our judgements and prejudices, while understanding how history impacts current realities. There is power in owning and learning from past mistakes. 

This challenge is one of many on our lifelong journey to shape an inclusive, supportive, and loving community. I look forward to sharing this challenging journey with you. Please tune in and engage mindfully. 

Peace to you and yours - Jackie

Why Not ERA?

It's your friend, Jackie, rabble-rousing again. This time, I'm advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Minnesota. 

Here's a bit of insider scoop. The ERA Minnesota push initially included a Republican woman, who later removed her name because the big boys didn't want her to push for equal rights. I don't know about you, but if leadership in my party tried to shutdown my rights, I'd push even harder. 

Here's a quote sharing the history of ERA from Betty Folliard, a former state representative and Founder of ERA Minnesota.

"The ERA is a non-partisan issue. Alice Paul, a Republican, wrote the ERA in 1923. It was supported by every subsequent Republican president up until Ronald Reagan and was actively promoted by two former First Ladies: Pat Nixon & Betty Ford. For decades it was part of the GOP platform."

Ladies, support the ERA as a matter of principle. This is non-partisan when party leaders stay the heck out of it. We are women and will not be oppressed. Unite, support, and protect each other.

Feminism is about supporting the choices we make, despite our differences, because we all are working towards the same goals. We desire the best for our families and communities. Let them not divide us. Judge not and spread the love and joy of inclusion. Join together in a resounding voice for equality. 

Peace to you and yours - Jackie 

Safe & Supportive Schools For All

As those who know me have invariably heard, one of my favorite sayings is, "There are more differences within groups than there are between groups." This can also be flipped to, “There are more similarities between groups than there are within groups.” This post is about one of the many similarities I share with most of my friends and family members: the value of protecting the safety of all children.

The people I know, respect, and even love vary widely on a broad political spectrum. Please humor me for a moment and remove our political agendas and move directly to our base feelings about protecting all children. Let’s see those mommy and daddy bears that come out when we find someone has harmed our children. Stay with me my friends... I’m going to talk about sexual orientation.

For most people, sexual orientation is not a choice. Some would argue it’s not a choice for anyone, but I’m going to stick with a source I trust: the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA’s description of what causes a person to have a particular sexual orientation is as follows:

“There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”

Are you still with me? Here’s an exercise to test our empathy skills.

Imagine yourself in a romantic embrace with someone of the opposite gender you are not attracted to. Want to stretch yourself? Imagine a similar situation with someone of your same gender. Uncomfortable and confusing, huh? Now, imagine you are a child trying to understand these feelings.

This is how the ACA explains how people know they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual:

“According to current scientific and professional understanding, the core attractions that form the basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge between middle childhood and early adolescence. These patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction may arise without any prior sexual experience. People can be celibate and still know their sexual orientation--be it lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual.”

Another similarity many of us share is that we are followers of Jesus. I’m being completely genuine and honest when I share that it’s been a struggle for me understanding how the lessons of love and tolerance I learned from the teachings of Jesus have been twisted politically to spread intolerance. It’s even harder for me to comprehend that there are still human beings out there who would rather harm children by exposing them to bullying and even worse, bogus conversion therapies, than support a child's sexual orientation.

Here’s why am I bringing this up now. I advocate for all of our children being protected with strong bullying prevention legislation guaranteeing them learning in a safe and supportive environment. Too many children face harassment and even violence, leading to serious mental health issues and sometimes suicide-related behavior. 

Right now, there is a bill in the Minnesota Senate (SF221) to exempt a large number of school districts from implementing the Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools law (passed last April). There’s an identical bill in the Minnesota House (HF102).

Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools law being signed by Governor Dayton.
Photo by Glen Stubbe

To protect the safety of all children, please contact your local representative and senator and let them know you do NOT want our Safe & Supportive Schools (anti-bullying) law watered down. Thank you for sticking with me… your pestering, progressive friend.

Peace to you and yours - Jackie

Investing in Public Education

In light of a Star Tribune analysis showing a widening gap between success of white and minority students, I have updated a past blog post. 

Star Tribune "Charter schools struggling to meet academic growth" 

Our history shows that we value children and the education they receive. We put a high priority on learning for all and support education as a fundamental right in Minnesota (and most other states):

The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.
(Minn. Const., art. XIII, § 1)

What a wonderful society we live in!

We care so deeply about our children that in the 1990's we decided to try something new - Charter Schools. In fact, Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter school law in 1991. I am an advocate for trying new things and hope that we continue to do so as a society. I am also a firm believer in accurately measuring success for society as a whole. After 20 plus years of many charters being exploited by for-profit entities, we have learned that much improvement is needed, especially in the area of equity. The push to privatize and profit attacks the very people we need to support (our teachers and students). Here are some examples of areas we need to improve:

• For-Profit Exploitation
• Lack of Accountability
• Teacher Dissatisfaction
• Racial Segregation
• Negative Impact of Vouchers

As we learn from our past policy decisions, many suggest we reinvest in our public education system instead of siphoning money to for-profit entities. One particular champion of public schools is Diane Ravitch. Visit Diane Ravitch's Blog for up-to-date articles about education and follow Diane on Twitter @DianeRavitch. 

"Diane Ravitch was one of the strongest voices in the school reform movement—advocating for school choice, charters, and No Child Left Behind. But less than a decade ago, Ravitch had a change of heart. The reliance on standardized testing, she now says, has caused schools to ignore the "humanistic" elements of education." Quote from Diane Ravitch on Education Reform, Chicago Tonight by Michael Lipkin, November 20, 2012 (video included). 

It has been truly rewarding to see the benefits of investing in public education as a Minnesota resident living in Lakeville. I am continually impressed by the ingenuity and leadership of our teachers. A great example is Impact Academy - Lakeville Area Schools were able to keep this program in-house instead of it branching-off as a charter school competing for public funds. Impact Academy currently benefits one of our grade schools; however, many families are excited to see the model implemented across the district. I am excited about programs that offer true choices to all families. True choice includes transportation and access for all students. We have a long way to go my friends.

I sincerely believe that continued investment in public education will provide the best return on investment for our children and the future of our great nation. Let's work together to create a public school system that is transparent, accountable (for real results, not simply teaching to tests), and enjoyable!


Peace to you and yours - 

Jackie Craig




For your reference, here are a few studies showing investment in public education pays-off for America (there are plenty more):

ROI from Adult Education

Early Childhood Education for All

National Conference of State Legislatures

In Support of Universal Preschool

There is a relentless effort to defund public education, to turn public money over to unaccountable private hands, and to abolish collective bargaining and due process. As supporters of public education, we must rally and stand together. It’s time to organize, strategize, and mobilize in solidarity with our teachers because we trust them to sound the alarm against unwise education policies and to lead the way toward education innovation.

There are those who say I care too much about what teachers think. Well, they’re right. I do care. They just don’t care enough. They don’t care that our front line professionals are being ignored in the so called “education reform movement.” They don’t care that pitting teachers against one-another in competition negatively impacts motivation instead of fostering cooperative environments in our schools that improve educational outcomes and support retention of teachers of color in our classrooms. They don't care that teachers are forced to "teach to the test" instead of teaching children in a more personalized manner. They don’t care that teacher voices have been purposely left out of the decision-making process in favor of venture capitalists and for-profit firms who are salivating over the education market.  

And why is it that our economy continues to improve, but public school spending still suffers? I’ll tell you why. There is a well-organized crusade to privatize and profit off the education of our children. And guess who suffers most from these kinds of policies. You guessed it, those who need us most: low-income and disadvantaged children. The socioeconomic status of families has a profound effect on children’s education. Many of our teachers work with children who are living in poverty, often lacking sleep, proper nutrition, and stable family lives. We must invest in the public education of all children to support equitable economic and social growth and put an end to policies systematically disadvantaging children. 

That’s why the time is now to invest in free public preschool for all. High-quality, developmentally appropriate preschool supports cognitive and socio-emotional development, which are important building blocks for reversing some of the effects of economic inequality. As a community, it is our responsibility to make sure that every student has a chance to excel, both in school and in life. In fact, school success has been linked to college attendance, career choice, increased wages, decreased use of social safety nets, and decreased involvement with the criminal justice system. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather invest in public education than our “zero tolerance,” “get tough on crime,” and “war on drugs” policies that have led to racially discriminatory incarcerations and the resegregation of our communities and schools.   

And considering that it costs us over $40,000 per year for each person we incarcerate in our state prison system, compared to the less than $11,000 average per student cost, I’d say the fiscally smart approach is to invest in public education. 
  
This kind of responsible investment in our children, supports healthy, safe, and equitable communities. By empowering our educators in the classroom and insisting on policies that benefit all children, we can deliver the responsible, robust public schools that our children and our communities need.

Peace to you and yours - Jackie